“The big thing in that inning was the kids started to take pitches and, fortunately for us, the pitching of the National was having trouble throwing strikes and we started to get in their head a little bit,” American All-Star head coach Mike Cooke said. “After getting some runners on and some big hits it helped us and unfortunately hurt them. I was really proud of them for never giving up.”

“The American League squad did a great job and, win or lose, long as Turlock is in it, it’s a win and congratulations to all of them and their coaching,” National All-Star head coach Lyle Zimmer said. “I hope they make it to the championship game; the kids did great and fought hard.”

The National squad broke the ice early as it scored the first three runs in the bottom of the first after Dylan Anderson blasted a deep two-run single to score Blake Zimmer and Joshua Hack. Ramon Grande followed with an RBI single to score Justin Hill to make it 3-0.

In the top of the second, the American squad responded as Aidan Cooke stole home after a wild pitch to make it 3-1. In the bottom of the second, the National squad tacked on two more runs to extend the lead to 5-1. The sixth and final run for the National team came in the bottom of the fourth after Hill hit an RBI double to drive in Hack. The American squad would then go on a 10-1 run to close out the game.

“I was just happy about the adversity and fighting back; the kids had a rough start and got down on themselves but gathered themselves and fought back and overcame it,” Cooke said. “The great thing about sports is overcoming adversity. If they want it, they will come out and fight for everything that they have and it really says a lot about the kids.”

Leading the way offensively was Cole Pacheco who all game long made the plays from shortstop, and added power to his bat as he went 3-for-4 with a home-run and three RBIs to lead his team. It was his second homer of the year, an outstanding statistic for a 10-year-old.

“It was a good hit, all our kids were impressed with that hit,” Zimmer said about Pacheco's home run.

The next game for the American 10-year-old All-Stars will be on Friday with a time and place yet to be determined.